Senate debates

Wednesday, 21 November 2012

Questions without Notice

Docetaxel

My question is to Minister Ludwig, representing the Minister for Health. Further to Senator Macdonald's line of questions in relation to the chemotherapy drug docetaxel, does the minister acknowledge that the Cancer Council of Australia, the Australian Lung Foundation, the Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia, the Private Cancer Physicians of Australia, the community pharmacy sector, National Seniors Australia and CanSpeak, the peak advocacy body for cancer sufferers, have all combined to condemn the proposed 1 December changes on the basis that it could, (1) compromise the safety of patients; (2) result in undue cost to patients and their families; and (3) adversely affect access to equitable and timely treatment? Does the minister consider that all these groups have got it wrong?

Comments

The point is, this government has lost it's way and is not in any way considering whether a person has an opportunity to either live or die with no viable option. A quick route to eliminating our citizens who have cancer is to make sure that this chemotherapy is beyond the cost to ordinary families. Never mind the anxiety caused to families, let alone the person who has such a life threatening disease. The politicians should ponder on the amount of taxpayers' hard earned money that has been squandered on schemes that have been no good at all. Heartless politicians who earn such large salaries when in and out of government have no idea what it means to walk in the shoes of a cancer patient. Shame, shame shame.